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c. A. ROWLE! TOOL Filed Sept. 12, 1930 2/ Liza/J'- INVENTOR ATTORN EV;

Patented May 17, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" CHARLES A. ROWLEY, OF BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE RAJ'AH G0]!- PANY, OF BLOOHFIELD, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY TOOL Application filed September 12, 1830. Serial No. 431,381.

This application relates to a tool adapted for crimpmg and particularly adapted for crimping cylindrical ferrules or the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple tool which will be inexpensive to manufacture, which may be made 'ght and convenient for carrying around by amechanic and which will serve to crimp a ferrule or other part as effectively and substantially as neatly as any of the more complicated machinery using cams, etc. which have been used heretofore.

Accordingly I have undertaken to produce a crimping tool in which two parts movable toward each other effect crimping, not only on the sides of the ferrule, etc. toward which they n1ove, but also on the sides transverse to the direction of their movement. My invention is based upon my discovery that once a re-entrantfold is started in the ferrule or other part to be crimped any further squeezing of such part will serve to tighten the fold even though no further pressure is exerted on the bottom of the fold. Accordingly I have discovered that a satisfactory crimping tool may be made which confines the part to be crilnped in a direction transverse to the movement of the complementary parts of the tool and which hasprojections moving in a direction at an angle to the axis of the folds which they are intended to form. When these projections are pressed against the part to be crimped they form a depression which is the beginning of the desired fold. When the part to be crimped is further squeezed together the depression is turned more sharply in, even though no radial pressure is exerted toward the bottom of the fold.

In the accompanying drawings in which I have shown a preferred embodiment and one modified form of my invention,

Figure 1 illustrates in perspective a tool made according to my invention; I

Figure 2 shows a tool at the end of its clamping movement and about to begin its crimping movement;

Figure 3 shows the tool at the end of the crimping movement;

Figure 4 illustrates a ferrule, for example,

a ferrule, such as is used for securing a terminal to an insulated wire, in place upon an insulated wire ready for crimping;

Figure 5 shows the wire and ferrule of Figure 4 crimped by the tool of my invention so as to hold the ferrule in place on the wire; and

Figure 6 shows a modified form of my invention, and

Figure 7 is a cross 7-7 of Figure 6.

According to Figures 1 to 5, the tool constructed according to my invention comprises crimping jaws 10 and 11 and suitable means for moving the jaws toward and away from section taken on line each other. In the present embodiment,

means serving this purpose is a pliers type tool 12 having in its jaws 1-3 and 14 semicylindrical recesses 15 and 16. The jaws 10 and 11 are pivotally mounted in these recesses by means of rivets or screws 17 and 18. Smaller cylindrical recesses are made in the jaws 13 and 14 below the recesses 15 and 16, as shown at 32 in Figure 1. These recesses, when the jaws are closed, form a cylindrical opening which accommodates insulated wire 21 or the end of the ferrule 22 which is to be left uncrimped.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in the drawings, I have also provided cutters 23 and 24 havin central recesses 25. These cutters serve or stripping the insulation from the wire in order to expose the wire for making electrical contact with the terminal'ferrule 22.

The jaws 10 and 11, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, comprise tongues 26 and 27 which overlap the projections 28 and 29.- Projections 30 and 31 are'formed at the base of the tongues 26 and 27 which correspond with the pro ections 28 and 29 and are complementary thereto. An additional pro'ection or projections may be made in the ottom of the groove between the projections 28 and 80 and 29 and 31, as shown in the drawlugs.

In use, the ferrule,,placed for example, over the insulated wire with which it is to be secured, as shown in Figure 4, is inserted betweenthe open jaws, for example, in the position shown in Figure 1. The jaws are then closed in the same manner that the jaws of a pair of pliers are closed, by gripping the handles in the hand of the operator. The movement is a continuous one which involves no skill or particular care, but for the purpose of explaining the invention, may be considered in two stages. The first stage is the movement from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 2. In this stage the ferrule is engaged between the tongues 26 and 27 and by their movement to the position shown in Figure 2 the ferrule is clamped and compressed slightly in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the jaws. At the end of this stage the ferrule will be slightly flattened to an elliptical shape, as shown in Figure 2. In this position the projections 28, 29, 30 and 31 are touching the edge of the ferrule 22. Upon further movement of the jaws the projections press on the metal of the ferrule until depressions are formed. The only direct radial pressure is from the bottoms of the complementary o enings in the jaws 10 and 11, in this case by the projections in the bottom of said openings. Since, however, the ferrule is confined transversely the radial pressure on the ferrule at the bottoms of said openings is transmitted by the ferrule itself to the projections 28, 29, 30 and 31 as well as to the confining tongues 26 and 27. The projections 28, 29, 30 and 31 therefore form depressions in the metal of the ferrule and as the movement continues, the squeezing together of opposite sides of the ferrule while the points of the folds are confined tightens the folds and deepens the depression.

When the jaws are completely closed, as shown at Figure 3, the circle circumscribed about the points of the folds is, in the preferred embodiment, slightly smaller than the outside of the ferrule before crimping. Thus the folds have been driven inwardly so as to engage securely the insulation of the wire 21. Furthermore since the depressions have been started uniformly by the projections on the jaws, the folds are uniformly spaced about the circumference of the ferrule.v The shape of the projections in the bottoms of the complementary openings in the jaws 10 and 11 is substantially the same as the shape of the depressions formed by the denting of the ferrule by the projectlons 28 29, 30 and 31 and the subsequent deepening of the folds by compressing the ferrule between the jaws 10 and 11. Thus the ferrule is crimped to a uniform six-pointed star shape and is securely locked to the wire-or other part on which it is being crimped.

Although I have described above a preferred embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that my invention is in no way limited to such embodiment and that many changes may be made without departingfrom the scope of my invention. I have found it particularly advantageous to shape the overlapping parts, such as the tongues 26 and 27 which overlap the projections 28 and 29, so that by their movement toward each other they exert a cam action upon the part being crimped so as to clam it and press it slightly in a transverse direction. Although I have shown these overlapping parts as tongues in one member fittlng into slots in another member, it will be readily appreciated that any other construction may be adopted by which the opening is closed by the complementary parts before the crimping action of the jaws-is begun and advanta eously so that the parts which close the si es of the opening are shaped so that in the further closing movement they will narrow the openin I have a so found it particularly advantageous to construct the tool sothat during the crim ing action the jaws come together by para lel motion. This, I have accomplished in the preferred embodiment by pivotally mounting the jaws 10'and 11 on the jaws 13 and 14 of the pliers part of the tool. In the preferred embodiment I have made the cylindrical opening 15, 16, so that the jaws 10 and 11 are pressed together from their backs without substantially hindering their pivotal motion and the rivets or screws 17 and 18 are loosely secured in the jaws 13, 14. Obviously these jaws 10, 11, could be pivotally secured to the jaws 13, 14 in any other well known manner or the parallel motion could be secured in other ways, as for example, by using parallel pliers.

In Figure 6 I have shown a modified form of jaws 10, 11, having overlapping parts 40, 41, 42 and 43. The parts 40 and 41 are made with a. complementary groove 44 and rail 45, the latter being received in the former by an arcuate sliding fit. As shown in Figure 7, the parts are cut away so that the space 46 between the groove and the aw proper forms in effect another rail whic is received in accurate sliding fit in the groove 47 formed between the rail 45 and the jaw proper. These inter-fitting grooves and rails serve to keep the parts in parallel relation. The opposite sides 42 and 43 are made so as to overlap before the ferrule is engaged by the projections which effect the crimping but are shorter than the parts 40 and 41 so that in the retracted position of the jaws they may be opened to permit the radial insertion of the art to be crimped. Obviously these jaws", li e the jaws shown in Figures 1 and 3, may be mounted pivotally on a simple pliers type tool, e. g. as shown in Figures 1 to 3, or either pivotally or rigidly on parallel pliers or upon any other mechanism for forcing them together.

Instead of the six projections, as shown, more e1:- ;fe\)'er projections can be used.

I have found, however, that six gives the most satisfactory arrangement. In any case the projections should be so designed and arranged as to turn the metal rather sharply inward so that the further compressing of the part to be crimped will form the reentrant folds in the locations established by the initial engagement of the projections with said part. The projections which form the depressions transverse to the direction of motion of the jaws should enga e the metal simultaneously with or slightly efore the engagement of the projections which form the depressions parallel or nearly parallel to the direction of motion of the jaws.

Many other changes may be made within the. scope of my invention.

Vihat is claimed as new is: i

1. A crimping tool comprising a pair-of complementary jaws and means for moving said jaws to or away from one another, said jaws having overlapping parts adapted to define an opening between said'jaws before the jaws are fully closed together and shaped so that upon further closing of the jaws said opening is narrowed in a direction transverse to their movement whereby said jaws first, clamp in said transverse direction the part to be crimped. and projections on said jaws into said opening adapted to engage the part to be crimped and to force re-entrant folds therein after it has been confined in the transverse direction by the preliminary movement of the overlapping parts.

2. A crimping toolas defined in claim 1, in which the means for moving said jaws is a pliers type tool to which the aws are secured so as to be moved thereby.

3. A crimping tool as defined in claim 1, in which the means for moving the jaws is a pliers type tool, and said jaws are pivotally connected to the pivoted levers of said pliers so as to permit parallel motion of said jaws toward and away from one another, and said projections near the sides of said openings}, the contacting surfaces of which are convei curves tangent to the part to be crimped and adapt-ed to turn a part thereof inwardly to form a re-entrant fold, but not so sharp as to prevent some sliding of the metal of said parts over its surface.

A crimping tool comprising means for clamping and confining in a transverse direction the part to be crimped, and complementary means movable toward one another adapted to force re-entrant folds into said part while it is thus confined and to squeeze said part between them so as to tighten said folds after said folds are turned in.

8. The method of forming a star crimp in a cylindrical tube which comprises squeezing the tube to elliptical shape, denting the tube along the center lines of the desired reentrant folds and compressing the tube within a circumference smaller than its original circumference.

9. The method of forming a star crimp in a tube whichcomprises denting the tube at positions which are to form reentrant folds and squeezing portions of the tube between zhiaddents whereby to form said re-entrant Signed at Bloomfield, N. J this 3rd day of September, 1930.

CHARLES A. ROWLEY.

Off

tool further includes means ada ted to hold said jaws in parallel relation uring their final motion by which their projections cause re-entrant' folds.

4. A crimping tool as defined in claim 1, in which the opening between the jaws when they are fully closed together is no wider on any diameter than the original diameter of the part which is crimped therein. v

5. A crimping tool as defined in claim 1, in which the jaws have projections near the sides of said openings, the contacting surfaces of which are convei curves tan ent to the part to be crimped and adapte to turn a part'thereof inwardly to form a re-entrant fold, but not so sharp as to prevent some sliding of the metal of said part over its surface.

6. A crimping tool as defined in claim 1, in which the jaws have projections at the bottoms of the complementary openings in the iso 

